


Siren Song

by loki_dokey



Series: Do You Remember [2]
Category: Borderlands
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-17 07:27:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5859715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loki_dokey/pseuds/loki_dokey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing her father to Vault Hunters, Angel is torn away from the one person who loved her just as much as Handsome Jack. Since coming back from the dead and reclaiming the life that was taken from him, Jack is on a mission to find is daughter. Only trouble is, he has no idea where to find her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! :D Sorry this hasn't been up sooner, but life as a tax paying adult is tough and busy and it sucks. Stay young, kids. Anyway, this story is focusing on 1. what happened to Angel after she was taken from Rhys and 2. Jack's mission to find her. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it! Pretty please leave comments to tell me what you think! I'm all for constructive criticism too :D Thanks to bigbwolf for being my fab fab fab beta <3

When Angel’s tears finally ran dry, she was halfway across the galaxy. She hadn’t been this far into space without her fathers before, and the thought made her nails dig hard into her palms. Across from where she sat, a large dark-skinned social services man unfolded his arms to cough. She glanced at him, noticing how the scar she had seen earlier stretched further down his face than she first thought. It snaked around his jaw, curling under his collar like someone had deliberately dragged a blade down his features.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked with anguish, mustering courage. The man’s foreboding appearance had prevented her from opening her mouth until this point. His eyes rolled around to focus on her yet his face didn’t even flicker to show any sign of emotion; he simply stared at her through narrow eyes. “What, have you got no tongue to speak with?” Angel hissed, folding her arms. “I have every right to know where I’m going.”

“Do ignore Daniel,” a taut voice announced. A tall, thin woman stepped into the room, carrying a tray in her hands. Angel gauged that she was probably around sixty with the way her hair was greying and her fingers were visibly arthritic.  “He’s a terribly quiet and shy man. You just get used to his silence, I suppose.”

The woman placed the tray beside Angel on the bench. On it sat a bowl of soup, few pieces of bread and butter and a large glass of orange juice. Angel blinked at it.

“Are you seriously offering me food and smiles after tearing me away from my dad after my other dad died? After I lost one of the only things that kept me fucking sane in this fucked up world? What kind of twisted people are you? You barely even let me say goodbye to Rhys!”

Angel didn’t remember climbing to her feet. But nevertheless, that’s where she found herself. Her eyes were blown wide and her fists were clenched. The woman looked horrified.

“How dare you use such langua-” She breathed and raised her hands. “No. I can’t be angry at you when you’ve just lost your family. You have every right to feel this way.”

“Damn right I do!” Angel yelled, hot tears once again lining her eyes. “My daddy is _dead_ and you took me away from the _one_ person who loved me just as much as he did. What gave you the right?!”

The old woman feigned a frown. “Because, sweetheart, the man was never appointed as one of your legal guardians. We’re only doing our job.”

Something inside Angel snapped. She went for the old woman, grabbing a chunk of her hair and yanking her head back. Angel would have cut her throat had it not been for the man – Daniel – who held her back. The woman screeched at him to remove Angel from her sight, and by the time Angel’s vision went from seeing red to normal, she was locked inside a bedroom apartment and shaking uncontrollably.

*

“I heard she punched Nix in the face,” one child muttered as Angel walked passed, Daniel’s hand clamped on her shoulder.

“Nah, she almost ripped her head off,” another whispered, staring at Angel with each step she took. “Look at her hair...”

Angel shot the boy a glare and he recoiled, stumbling into his friend. Daniel lead her to what was apparently going to be “her room”. It was empty and white. Sterile like a hospital. When the door slammed behind her, leaving her alone with her thoughts, she curled up on the bed and cried out for her fathers.

*

“I don’t know. Looks like shit to me.” The four children peered at their plates. Angel prodded her brown slop with her finger and gingerly licked at it. The other’s pulled faces. Ziggy almost puked. “Tastes like shit too. God, this place is terrible.”

Angel had been at the House for a month. It turned out to be better than expected. The kids there were decent and not all the social workers were like Daniel and Nix. The worst parts were the food, her solid mattress and the fact that no one had come to rescue her yet. Seb sat down opposite her, clasping her hand in his to bring her out of her reverie.

“You okay, Angel?” he asked genuinely, rubbing his thumb across her hand. “You zoned out again there.”

Seb was one of the nicest people that Angel had ever met. He was fourteen, but unlike the other fourteen year-old boys in the House, he wasn’t a massive asshole. Seb, Ziggy and Maliaka had taken her under their wing, accepting her as one of their own. They’d told her who to avoid, where the best place was to meet in secret and who the nicest social workers were.

“If you puke, can you puke away from me,” Maliaka said with a grimace, shifting her headscarf where it sat under her chin. “Zig,” she hissed when he didn’t turn his body. “Move.”

“I’m not gonna barf” Ziggy answered grumpily, prodding his mountain of mush with a fork. “I’m too hungry _not_ to eat this crap.”

Angel giggled in spite of herself. She’d only known them for a month, but these kids fit her just like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Their humour and kindness made the numbness of losing her parents ebb slightly, and for that she loved them. She loved them for the way they had let her in despite the way she’d been portrayed by Nix when she’d first entered the House. ‘Dangerous’ and ‘cold-hearted’ obviously hadn’t phased Maliaka, Seb and Ziggy.

*

“Daddy, how far away is that star?”

Jack held Angel in his lap, right before her bed time, as they stared out of the window of their apartment. Her small fingers curled around his thumbs. He squeezed her sides.

“Pretty far, baby. But we’ll travel ever further together one day when you’re old enough.”

Angel span around, looking up at him with big eyes. “Am I not old enough now?”

Jack simply chuckled, standing her up and tapping her butt lightly. “Come on, munchkin. Let’s get you into bed.”

Suddenly, the room was flashing red. Sirens were blaring from all four corners of the room. It was louder than anything Angel had ever heard before. Jack glanced anxiously all around.

“Daddy!” Angel shrieked over the noise. “Daddy, what’s happening?”

“Nothing we can’t handle, baby,” he breathed, crouching. He hugged her close and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Stay low and stay safe. Go to your room and lock the door behind you. Get under your bed and stay there till daddy comes back, okay?”

“But Daddy,” Angel began in protest, but Jack stepped away.

“ _Go_ , Angel!”

She tried to run to him but her legs wouldn’t budge. He kept moving further and further away, the sirens getting louder and louder. Eventually he disappeared, but Angel was still stuck, desperate to find him.

The sirens still blared as Angel blinked awake. There were shouts from outside of her room, coming from children and adults alike.

“What the hell,” she muttered, rubbing her tired eyes. Reaching under the pillow, her fingers curled around the smooth metal of a knife she’d stolen from the kitchen. It was big – big enough to use for defence – and she pulled it out as her feet pressed onto the cold floor. There were screams now, mixed in with sudden heavy gunfire that made her jump. Her skin prickled. Something was very, very wrong.

She padded across the floor, opening her door a crack. A group of children raced past, screeching and falling over as they went. They hastily climbed back to their feet and hurtled around the corner, disappearing from view. A few seconds later, a man in a frightening mask flew past after them. Scared for their lives, she threw herself onto his back and took her knife to his gullet. She didn’t have to see the blood to know that his throat had opened up to spill its contents all over the carpet.

“Take that you son of a bitch,” she snapped, taking another stab for luck.

Dropping to the floor, Angel knew she had to find her friends. She had no idea who these people were or what they were doing at a home for orphaned kids, but she knew there was nothing good about their presence. She slunk down the hallways, darting into the shadows any time she thought necessary until she came across Seb’s door. It was open.

“Where the fuck is your little friend,” a gravelling voice growled from inside. “Tell me or I’ll start by taking off your balls, boy.”

“I’m not going to give up Angel, you dick. Whatever she’s worth to you, she’s worth a hell of a lot more to me.”

At this, Angel felt her heart swell. But Seb wouldn’t die for her. It was all of a sudden making sense. They were here for her. Of course they were. It had only been a matter of time. Handsome Jack was dead. That meant his daughter was free for the taking.

“Eat my shit,” she said simply as she walked into the room, tossing her knife directly into the back of the man’s head. He instantly dropped Seb, who crashed hard onto the floor. Angel ran to his side.

“What do they want with you?” he gasped, rubbing his throat. “Why are they doing this to us?”

Angel would have replied. She would have told him everything. She was even ready to kiss him for being perfect.

But when her mouth opened, a hard whack to her skull caused her world to go black.

*

Angel cursed her pounding head as she slowly came around. Everything was a blur: the sirens, the bandits...her _eyesight_ at that current moment. She blinked hard, trying to gain a grounding of where she was and why, in fact, her skull felt like it had been dented. Going to rub at her head, she was surprised when her hands wouldn’t move. A couple of seconds had to pass before she realised she was tied up by the wrists.

“Argh,” Angel grunted, blinking again and shifting her uncomfortable position. Finally, her eyes focused enough for her to take in her surroundings. She was seated in the corner of a small windowless room; water dripped from the ceiling and the smell of something rancid hung in the air. Her nose wrinkled in disgust and she wished she could cover it to mask the smell.

Despite the fact she’d been kidnapped, it appeared as though Angel had been left alone. She wondered if this was some kind of test or whether the bandits had actually been stupid enough to wander off and leave her. She smirked, tossing her hair to the side. The ring her father had given her was ever-present on her hand. With a press of the hidden button, a blade uncurled from the band. Immediately, she got to work with sawing through her restraints, which were pitifully thin in actuality. It was then that the door flew open, which made her jump and nearly drop her only means of escape.

“Yeah, I got her right here,” a tall, well-built bandit announced into his communicator as he glanced down at her. “Of course she’s alive. Yeah. Well, duh. No…” This time he glared at her. “I don’t fucking know, do I?” He turned away from her and dropped the comm on the desk.

“What do you want with me?” She continued sawing.

The grunt didn’t respond for a while. Instead, he took to sharpening a knife which set her on edge. She gulped, sawing faster.

“Little lady, there are people out there who are willing to pay big money for Handsome Jack’s daughter.” He lumbered across the room and crouched down before her, breathing nauseating breath across her face as he spoke. “Collectors. People who’d put your head on a plaque in their hallway. I don’t care who it is or what they do with you. Just as long as I get my payment.”

One of the ropes fell apart. Only one more to go and she would be free to roundhouse kick the asshole upside his head. In the meantime, she collected enough saliva in her mouth to spit into his face. His hand made agonising contact with her own.

“You little _bitch,_ ” he growled, grabbing her by the throat. “Who the fuck do you think you are?!”

Angel grinned wickedly. “Handsome Jack’s daughter. You said so yourself. You don’t want to mess with me.”

The bandit laughed at this before delivering another powerful blow, this time to her jaw. Angel shrieked in pain, wanting to cover herself for protection but instead sawing the final rope as hard as she could. When it fell apart behind her, she kept her hands hidden from view.

“You’re going to regret messing with me,” she spat. He smirked.

He bent over her, so close she could have pressed her forehead against his chest. “I’d like to see you try, kid.”

With that, she rounded her blade into his throat. It was just long enough to pierce his windpipe and she stood watching him choking on his own blood until he stilled beneath her.

“Watch your fucking tongue, you piece of shit.” She kicked his head hard as a final hurrah. The gun tucked into his belt was soon nestled between her hands as she opened the door, peering out into the deserted hallway. It was only now she was out of the room that she heard screams. Begging. Children’s voices. A realisation of horror dawned on her.

 _“No,_ ” she whispered.

*

She didn’t know how the bandits knew who to take. Angel assumed they were there as a leverage for her cooperation. That didn’t matter now, of course, as she was free. Through the window to the room, Maliaka, Ziggy and Seb were tied together, drenched in gasoline judging by the tank that was only metres away from them. Ziggy was sobbing whilst Seb stared down one of the six bandits who were surrounding them. Angel cocked her gun and took a deep breath. Opening the door, she fired through one skull before cocking her weapon again and shooting a chest. She’d taken the bandits by such surprise that the fumbling for ammunition cost some their lives.

What Angel hadn’t accounted for was the match that was lit. A slimy looking bandit with slicked back hair grinned menacingly as he dropped it into the puddle at Maliaka’s feet. Angel would never forget what she saw next. The speed at which her three friends caught alight was sickening. Their bodies were engulged in flames but yet they remained screaming for too long. Angel felt the bile rise in her throat. She knew...she _knew_ that they were doing it to distract her to capture her again. But no. Not this time. Not again. No, she would never allow them to get away with what they had done. A rage so blinding in its arrival overcame her and she felt something she had never felt before. A warmth enveloped her body and her hands somewhat instinctively rose in front of her chest. From her palms, a power so great in its nature erupted and obliterated the four remaining bandits, diminishing them into dust.

“What the _hell,”_ Angel managed before once again the world turned to black and she crumpled to the floor.

*

“I’m terribly sorry but I’m not allowed to divulge information about children we’ve had going through our doors in the past. They’re orphans so they’re under our protection-”

The poor young man who was working behind the desk suddenly found himself high in the air with Jack’s large hand curled around his throat.

“Your...your _protection_?” Jack threw his head back and laughed, maniacal and damaged. “I’m the only one in this goddamn universe worthy of calling themselves her protector. And she’s not an orphan, dumdum. She’s got a daddy and he’s currently got the power to crush your windpipe. So I’ll ask you _again.”_ Jack squeezed. “Where the _fuck_ is my Angel?”

The man’s eyes blew wide. “Angel?” he managed to say as Jack flexed his wrist and dropped him. “Angel was one of the children here when we were raided by bandits. She was…” The man fell silent for a moment, looking at his feet. “She was the one they were looking for.”

Jack yelled swear words very loudly at everyone upon hearing this information. On the other hand, Rhys felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. They’d come for Angel.

*

“She’s so...small,” a female voice announced, the noise drifting into Angel’s ears. It was a pleasant, calming voice, not worrying Angel in the slightest.

Another voice spoke, this one harsher and sharper than the last. “I can’t believe her powers have shown this early. Look at her marks,” Angel felt a hand run up her arm. “They’re beautiful. Prettier than mine, anyway.”  
“Can you believe she decimated those sons of bitches?” The calm voice was further away now. Angel opened her eyes.

“Hey there, sleeping beauty!” The woman gazing down at her smiled, rubbing her shoulder. “Welcome back to the world of the living.”

Angel sat bolt upright, back aching in the process. “Where am I?” She was in some godforsaken run-down apartment with two strange women staring at her like she was the damned sun and stars all rolled into one small ten year-old package. “Can I...help you?”

“Girl, we’re here to help _you,_ ” the younger looking of the girls said. “You like, _annihilated_ four people. Just like that.” The girl clicked her fingers. “We saw the damage you’d dealt when Asha here felt your awakening.”

“My what?”

The other girl - Asha - took her left arm and held it up. Angel yelped.

Her entire arm was covered in a new, blue tattoo. It snaked around her, twirling down to her wrist.

“What the hell have you done to me?” she snapped, snatching her arm out of Asha’s hand. “Would you people _please_ stop thinking you can do whatever you want with me?”

“Hey, hey, shh,” Asha cooed. “I - _we_ \- didn’t do anything to you. I felt it when you used your powers for the first time.” She touched her chest. “I knew I had to find you. We Sirens have to look out for each other.”

It felt as though the world had gone silent around her. A _siren?_ She was a _siren?_ It explained the power...it explained the tattoo...it explained a lot, actually.

“How...how...I…”

Asha offered her another small smile. “I know, sweetie. It’s a lot to take in. But we can help you.” Asha looked back at the other girl. “If you’ll let us.”

Angel frowned. “How do I know I can trust you?” she whispered. At this, Asha grabbed her left hand in her own. The two hands emanated a piercing blue light.

“Because we’re one and the same, you and I. I’m gonna teach you everything you need to know, kid. Judging from how early your powers have shown, you’re gonna be one _hell_ of a force to be reckoned with.”

*

“Jack, you have to eat.” Rhys waggled the bag of takeout under his nose. “You dying of hunger won’t help find Angel.”

Jack typed angrily at his laptop. “I’m not hungry.” Rhys started up his ECHO eye. “Don’t you fucking scan me, Rhysie. I told you I’m not hungry. Do the decent thing and believe me.”

Rhys sighed and slumped against Jack. “Y’know, I’ve been thinking. Who says she needs saving?”

Jack shifted underneath him and the change in his breathing announced that Rhys had said _entirely_ the wrong thing.

“What the hell do you mean by that, kitten?”

Rhys stumbled to get his point across. “Well, she’s a strong girl. She could have made it out and looked after herse-” Jack’s expression made him shut up.

“She was _ten_ , Rhys. She may be strong hearted but she’s still a baby.” Jack glanced down. “ _My_ baby. My _baby._ And she’s fucking...fucking...I...I...God, I don’t even _know_ where she is.” Jack pressed his palms hard against his eyes. Rhys didn’t say another word, but wrapped his arms around Jack and tried not to cry himself.

*

Angel sat on top of Meg’s shoulders, scanning the horizon through binoculars.

“You’re sure they originated from Pandora? You’re sure the dude who sent the command is here?” Angel squinted. She felt Meg huff underneath her thighs.

“We’ve spent _two years_ tracking and killing these assholes to get here and you’re doubting it all now?”

At this, the young Siren sighed. “No. No, I’m not. It just hurts that we could be so close and I haven’t got my fingers around their necks yet.”

“Easy there, tiger,” Asha chuckled, loading her pistol. “And excuse me, but after all the training we’ve been doing when are you _ever_ going to need to use your hands again?” Asha rung her wrists and winked. Angel rolled her eyes and poked out her tongue.

Meg hummed. “I’ve just had an idea.” Angel glanced down. “We need a pinpoint location of a particular bandit camp, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, who’s most likely to have a knowledge of pretty much all bandit camps across Pandora?”

Angel shrugged, pouting slightly. Asha’s eyes lit up.

“ _Atlas.”_


	2. Jackie Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmm MMMMMMMMM MMmMMMM Yes THIS IS THE CHAPTER I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG TO FINALLY GET DOWN. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> Also note: Rating change! ;)

Rhys had never seen Jack looking so on edge. The sight of it was strange, since they’d been through a _lot_ of shit together over the years. The older man’s fingers were tightly gripping his knees and his lower lip was tucked under his teeth, chewing down on it nervously. His mismatched eyes were fixated on the galaxy stretched out ahead of them and he barely reacted to Rhys sliding a hand around his arm.

“We’ll find her,” Rhys murmured, pressing his lips against his husband’s jaw in an attempt at comfort. _Husband_ , Rhys reminded himself with a small smile. He was still processing that.

Jack grunted and moved his arm to tuck it around Rhys’ waist, pulling him closer. “Yeah.” Tightening his grip, he blinked and looked up at the ceiling. “Rhysie, I can’t let myself think of the worst. I can’t. I mean, by now she’ll be lost in the system. We don’t even know where we’re going.”

Vaughn chose this moment to cough lightly, bringing everyone’s attention on him. He glanced up from the computer he was working on, anxious eyes meeting Jack’s own.

“Actually, that might not be the case. I’ve just found the logging data for ships that travelled in and out of Helios the day Angel was taken. I’ve got one here that arrived only twenty minutes before she was grabbed by social services. Judging by its flight records, its next stop was Eden-Six after it left Helios. Does that ring any bells, Jack?”

It was as though a switch had been flicked in Jack’s head. He stood up suddenly, index finger raised and staring down at Vaughn with wide eyes.

“Of _course._ How could I have been so _stupid._ ” He began to pace, combing his hands through his hair. “August, make a note of that. I will never publicly announce that I’m an idiot again so it’s imperative you jot down the fact that you were all here to witness it.” August stared, then shrugged and pulled out a notepad just as he was asked. “There’s an orphanage on Eden-Six. I guess I didn’t think of it before because...I never really saw myself as having died.” His voice grew quieter and he slumped back beside Rhys. “Dammit, she was never an orphan,” he muttered defiantly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Rhys raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? You...died, Jack. She kind of was.”

Jack turned, features unyielding. “No, kitten. She was _never_ an orphan.” He patted Rhys’ leg before rubbing it tenderly. “Not once has she been an orphan. You made sure of that.”

Rhys felt the lump form in his throat. Despite the people surrounding them, he threw his arms around Jack’s neck and buried his face deep into his shoulder. Jack held him close, running his hand up and down his spine. Neither cared who saw the public display of affection. Rhys _adored_ his family and he was going to make it his life’s mission to bring them all back together again. No matter what it took.

*

Slamming the door back hard on its hinges, Jack and Rhys stormed out of the House. Jack was still swearing wildly and Rhys was searching for something nearby to shoot in the face. _Of course it couldn’t have been that easy,_ Rhys thought, picking up a rock and throwing it hard at group of birds _._ Of course she couldn’t have just been sitting in the common room, colouring in a picture only to look up with her large blue eyes and see her fathers standing before her. In an attempt to calm Rhys down (because Vaughn daren’t try and calm Jack who was no doubt the angriest), Vaughn grabbed at Rhys and rubbed his back. He’d never seen him so angry.

“They fucking took her!” Rhys screamed, turning on his heel and slamming his metal fist into the wall. A large dent remained when he took his hand away.

“Rhys, _Rhys_ , I know buddy. I know.” Vaughn hushed, eyes darting to Jack. “Just...try to calm down. It’s...it’s just be aware that your reaction might affect-”

On cue, Jack shot at a passer-by’s feet and scared the living daylights out of them.

“YOU’RE LUCKY THAT WASN’T YOUR FUCKING HEAD!” Jack roared, leaning far back and tossing his gun after them. It clattered sadly onto the ground, issuing a silence across the group. Rhys sucked in a deep breath, clenched his jaw and stalked over to Jack.

“Jack. Just...don’t. Don’t shoot at people.” He sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We need to get our heads on straight and focus on where Angel might be.”

Jack didn’t reply. He ignored Rhys entirely and stomped off back to their ship.

*

That night, after they had discussed as a group who would scout out which bandit camps, Jack curled up on the bed facing away from Rhys. It was cold of him, since they were both suffering, but Rhys understood. He’d only been part of Angel’s life for two years, whereas Jack was Angel’s real father. He’d held her as an infant and taught her to walk and talk. He’d watched her grow for ten whole years, thus she owned his heart, yet there was now a strong possibility that she was...

No. Rhys wouldn’t let himself think that way. Instead, he had to show Jack some form of comfort. He lay on his side, pressed himself flush against Jack’s back and placed small, delicate kisses along his spine.

“I love you, Jack.”

“Love you too, Rhysie.”

*

The following day, Rhys and Jack went separate ways to scout out two different bandit camps on Eden-Six. The cybernetic man hated that everywhere he went there seemed to be bandit camps. They gave him the creeps Why did they always have to wear masks? Made potentially of human flesh? Why?

With August and Vaughn flanking, he drew his gun and crouched down outside the entrance. The camp was tucked away in a cave just beyond the city walls, lit by meagre torches and guarded by two grumpy-looking guards.

“God, I hate morning shifts,” grunted one to the other, scratching his balls. “’S too early.”

“Quit your whining,” the other snapped.

“Yeah, quit your whining.” Rhys stood and fired a shot into each of their skulls. “Pissbaby.”

August squealed from his crouched position. “That was _so_ badass, bro.”

“I know, bro,” Vaughn whispered, staring up at Rhys.

“Can we just move?” Rhys grumbled, kicking dust over the dead bodies as he passed. “Let’s focus on why we’re here.”

It turned out, after an hour of gunshots, blood, screaming and mild torture, that the bandit group had no idea where Angel was. Rhys would have gone easier on them if he hadn’t found a group of innocent children being worked there as slaves and god only knows what else. He emerged from the cave covered in blood, with no leads and a face like thunder.

“Rhys...I think we need to get you home,” August commented, placing a hand on Rhys’ shoulder. Rhys pushed him off, stepping away and running his hands through his hair.

“Don’t _touch_ me. Better yet, don’t even talk to me. That was a pointless exercise and I don’t want to be reminded of it _ever. Again.”_ With that, Rhys stalked down the mountainside and away from the hellhole behind him. He waved his arms in front of him. “We’ll just go back to the ship and figure out another plan.”

When they did eventually make it back to the ship, it appeared that Jack, Athena and Maya had not returned. Barely blinking an eye, Rhys flew straight threw to his room and slammed the door behind him. He breathed out hard.

“Where the _fuck_ are you, Angel?” He paced over the laptop at his desk, sitting down and clicking on random things, thinking that perhaps _something_ might give him an answer. It was then that his ECHO pinged announcing that someone at Atlas wanted to get in touch with him.

“What do you want?” he snapped at the screen which flickered up from his palm. The person babbled about quotas and numbers but his mind was too dazed to process what he knew was important information. “Look, it’s been a long day. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.” With that, he closed his palm and placed his hand on the desk before him. It was only then that he remembered he was covered from head to toe in bandit blood. It had dried, flaking against his skin like paint. He sat there for a while, mindlessly picking at it. It was strange how time and experience had numbed him to being drenched in someone else’s blood.

At that moment, the bedroom door burst open. Jack stood in the doorway, also covered in blood from head to toe. He stared at Rhys with wild eyes, shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths. Rhys stood slowly, staring right back at Jack.

“I fucking hate bandits,” Jack muttered, shrugging off his jacket and storming towards Rhys. Rhys met him halfway, their lips crashing together in earnest.

“I’m-glad-you-didn’t-die,” Rhys managed between breaths, which came very few and far between.

“I’m-glad-to-see-you-gave them-a piece of-your mind,” Jack countered, ripping open Rhys’ shirt and kissing his way down his chest. Rhys groaned and buried his hands in Jack’s hair. “You’re such a little badass now, baby. So freaking tough and not at all precious and breakable like you used to be.” Jack spoke his words right against Rhys’ hipbones, which he knew drove the cybernetic man crazy. “It’s _so_ fucking _hot,_ kitten.”

“Ja-ack,” Rhys moaned as his partner’s teeth pulled at his zipper. He stumbled back and gripped the desk to steady himself. Jack merely grinned, tugging down Rhys’ pants and underwear in one swift manoeuvre. Rhys’ eyes bulged as Jack took him fully into his mouth; he almost came the moment his lips closed around him. “Fucking hell.”

“You miss me sucking your cock, don’t you Rhysie?” Jack licked up his length, hand replacing his mouth. “You’ve missed the sweet, _sweet_ things this mouth can do. God, you look spent already, babe.”

“Stop – ngh – talking – _god_ – and suck me _off_.”

Jack cackled, digging his nails into Rhys’ hips and dragging them down just how he knew Rhys loved.

“Damn, telling Handsome Jack what to do?” He cupped Rhys with a sly grin, causing the other man to buck. “You’ve got balls, kiddo.”

Rhys rolled his eyes, grabbed Jack’s hair and tugged it back with a hard yank. Jack’s smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with his mouth forming a small ‘o’.

“I think I can tell my _husband_ what the fuck I want him to do with my dick, don’t you?” Rhys leant closer. “Now open your mouth, like a good boy, and make me come. Hmm?”

Jack’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t seem to find words. Sighing, Rhys pushed himself against Jack’s mouth and Jack simply opened it, allowing Rhys slide all the way in. Rhys smirked down at him, stroking his organic hand through Jack’s hair. His favourite thing in the world was seeing Jack on his knees. However, the fantasy moment was wrecked slightly when Jack suddenly grabbed Rhys by the waist and threw him onto the bed. He then continued his ministrations, but Rhys knew that he’d moved him on purpose because he _knew_ just how much Rhys liked having him on his knees. Jack didn’t like being told what to do and _this_ was his way of showing it.

“Asshole,” Rhys exhaled.

Jack just grinned.

*

The months trailed by. The group of wannabe rescuers traced camps and demolished bandits but all the while there was no sign of Angel. Jack grew more and more irritable as days disappeared; Rhys was the only one who managed to calm him, but even he was finding it hard by the time Pandora was crying for its main company man to return and put things in order.

“I have to go back, Jack,” Rhys groaned for the fourth time, placing his hands behind his back and kicking the dirt. “Just for a little while. Then we can come back out and search for her.”

Jack said nothing. He continued loading his gun with ammunition, one bullet at a time. He’d let himself go a little, with scruff lining his jaw and bags under his eyes. Rhys had never had the pleasure of seeing Jack bearded due to the mask, but now Jack was mask-free. However, the truth behind his scruffiness caused Rhys to only look at the beard with disdain. Jack had been ignoring him ever since he brought up the idea of leaving, so Rhys was trying his very best to wave Jack’s mind.

“Jack.” Rhys sat down beside his partner. “Jack, would you goddamn look at me?” Irritation finally bubbling over, Rhys grasped Jack’s prickly chin in his hand and turned the older man’s face around. His face was annoyed but his eyes were genuinely devastated. That was something Jack couldn’t hide.

“There’s still so much more of this place to search,” Jack said softly. He curled his hand around Rhys’ thigh. “I can’t...I can’t go back, babe.”

Rhys sighed. “Handsome Jack, if I left you alone without the company of my level head, you would tear this place apart to find her.” Jack was silent. “Wouldn’t you?”

The left corner of Jack’s mouth lifted slightly. The sadness in his eyes dipped. “Perhaps a few heads would roll.”

Rolling his eyes, Rhys muttered something about Jack being an idiot and kissed him lightly.

Please come back to Pandora with me? We’ll only be there a week or two at most. Then I _promise_ we will leave and search for a few months again.”

Sliding his gun into his holster, Jack looked at Rhys begrudgingly. “I hate that I have to agree. Don’t wanna go,” Jack waved his arms about wildly, “killing any innocents if I’m left alone here.”

*

The journey back to Pandora was hard on everyone. They had all held some quantity of hope that Angel would have been found by now.  No one really spoke on the three-day trip. It was merely a grunting of ‘pleases’ and ‘thank yous’ and ‘pass the salts’ that made up what could barely be called conversation. Rhys hated that he’d taken Jack away from where Angel would most likely be, but the man was damned volatile. He’d nearly given August a black eye when he’d told Jack that they’d run out of peanut butter. He couldn’t be trusted and Rhys knew that if he was left on Eden-Six to continue searching, there would be no Eden-Six when Rhys re-joined him.

It was the middle of the day when the ship docked just outside of the Atlas Headquarters. Rhys was greeted upon arrival by a group of assistants who took his laundry and possessions to have them cleaned. As the group strolled through the maze of hallways, people gawped and pointed at Jack, still in disbelief that he was really alive. Rhys had to grip Jack’s arm tightly so he didn’t punch one of them to death for simply looking at him.

“Welcome back, Rhys,” an older gentleman said as Rhys entered his office. Rhys yanked off his jacket and gave it to the man. “It’s been turmoil here since you left.”

“Yeah, probably because you can’t do your damned job, Hector.”

“No, the employees are very-” He stopped mid-sentence as Jack placed himself before him. Jack raised a finger warningly.

“Don’t you _ever_ question or disagree with your CEO again, skagshit. You’re lucky it’s not me in charge because with that lip you’d be out of a freaking airlock or eating the barrel of my gun.”

“Jack,” Rhys protested, but he secretly enjoyed watching Jack take care of his fight for him. He had been thinking of giving Hector the sack anyway, but allowing Jack to make the man crap his pants first was far more entertaining than merely telling him to fuck off.

“Sorry sir,” Hector whimpered, recoiling away from Jack’s flailing finger.

Rhys took in a deep breath. “Hector, you can’t be trusted with this company. Get the hell out of my sight before I set my dogs on you.” Rhys waggled his eyebrows at Jack and August, who grinned and stepped towards Hector menacingly. “Don’t ever blame your incompetence on the people who work for you. That shit’ll come back to bite you in the ass.”

By this point, Hector had fled out of the door. Jack threw his head back and laughed.

“Oh, Rhysie baby, you were _born_ to be a CEO. Not as violent as myself, I might say, but goddamn _perfect_ nonetheless.” He slid up behind his husband and grabbed his hips hard. His lips brushed Rhys’ ear. “Fuck, I could just bend you over this desk right now.”

“Okay, well, that’s our cue to leave,” Athena muttered, grabbing August’s arm since the man was staring at Jack and Rhys. “Can you stop ogling at Rhys, August? Please? For one minute?”

At this, August flushed a deep red and swiftly followed Athena out of the door. Jack took no time in spinning Rhys around and caging him in against his desk.

“Gonna fuck you right on your desk,” Jack said against Rhys’ neck. Rhys went to moan, but choked on it and span them around, pressing Jack down against the cold, hard surface.

“No, you’re not,” Rhys hissed through gritted teeth. “This is _my_ office. Whatever I say in here goes.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “And what am I supposed to take from that, Rhysie?”

Rhys pushed himself against Jack, leaning down and whispering in his ear, “This is my play palace, Jackie. In this room, you can either do as I say or let your balls go blue by telling me _no_.” Jack’s breath was shallow. “Now would you rather I walked away or fucked you till you screamed my name?” He trailed his fingers down the side of Jack’s face. Jack was stock still, staring Rhys dead in the eyes.

“You... _shit._ Rhys, you’re so...so... _”_ Apparently Jack didn’t have time for any more words. He gripped the back of Rhys’ neck and pulled him into a deep, slow kiss. “You make my world go round, baby.” He kissed his jaw. “I... _god_ you’re so hot.”

Rhys tugged Jack’s sweater over his head and rolled his tongue over his chest. He focused on his nipples, drawing a rough, hearty sigh from the older man who began to writhe underneath him.

“What do you want me to do to you, Jack?” Rhys said as he traced his tongue lower and lower. He pulled Jack’s pants down and kissed at the bulge throbbing against the material of his underwear. “Tell me what you want.”

Jack gripped Rhys’ hair. “Ugh...Oh _fuck_.” Rhys mouthed at the bulge again, sending shudders up Jack’s spine. “Want you to...fucking... _ngh..._ fuck me on this desk.”

Rhys climbed back up and stuck his tongue down Jack’s throat before exhaling, “And how do you want me to fuck you?”

“Rough..hard...like you’re the damned CEO of a fucking multibillion dollar company.”

 Rhys grinned. “That I can do, baby. That I can do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YESSSSSSSSSS
> 
> Lemme know in the comments whatcha think ;) The next chapter SHOULD have some more explicit Rhack sin so stay tuned ;)


	3. Siren, You Need Sing No More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONCE AGAIN, IT'S BEEN REAL. I hope you enjoy the final chapter of this ride. I'm definitely thinking of writing a Part 3, so let me know if you have any ideas as to what that could entail. I have some ideas, but suggestions are always useful! :) Feel free to let me know your thoughts as well. They are appreciated more than you can imagine <3
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you to my beautiful beta BigBWolf for being my dude and my bro.

It was late afternoon when Rhys finally stretched back into the leather of his chair and yawned widely. The sun was low in the sky, casting a deep orange glow across his office. It was a beautiful room in which to work and Jack had commented (like he had in hologram form) at the fact that Rhys had developed it with Jack’s old office in mind. Rhys had simply shrugged, running a hand across the heavy duty glass window pane as Jack had sucked another hickey onto his neck.

Buried under a pile of paperwork since the day he arrived back at Atlas, Rhys had at long last signed off the final document with a swishy flick of his pen.

“You reckon Maliwan will take up that offer?” Jack said as he peered over Rhys’ shoulder. “I mean, they’re not renowned for being diplomatic. But hey,” he chuckled, “neither are we. We’re malleable people.” Jack puffed out his chest. “I can totally be diplomatic.”

Rhys closed his eyes and leant back against Jack. “Jack, you’re capable of being diplomatic until someone tells you you’ve got a _hair_ out of place. At that point you gun them down.” Rhys fired finger guns. “ _That’s_ your type of diplomacy. I want to get onto good terms with them. We’re competitors but that doesn’t mean we have to see ourselves as enemies.” He leant forward once again and splayed his hands on his desk, brow furrowed. “We should eat.”

Jack yawned. “You got that right, kiddo.”

The pair made their way out of the office and across the plaza, into the recently finished skyscraper structure opposite. Rhys had buzzed Athena, August, Maya and Vaughn to join them, but only August and Maya had replied by the time they arrived at the restaurant. The place was fancy, to Rhys’ design, with luxurious mahogany wood and enormous chandeliers hanging from the domed, glass ceiling. Jack pulled Rhys’ chair out as they were seated at the central table and Maya saluted them from across the room as she sashayed through the throng of people. It was a busy place. Rhys had hired the best of the best: chefs, servers, wine connoisseurs...you name it, Rhys had it.

Vaughn appeared as they were ordering drinks. He was dapper and neat in a dark grey suit, but Rhys had to lick his finger and rub the drops of dried blood off of Vaughn’s neck before anyone noticed.

“What happened?” he asked quietly, noticing Jack raising his eyebrow. “You okay?”

Vaughn coughed. “It went fine. Mal-” Vaughn choked as Rhys kicked him hard under the table. “The uh...situation is under control. They won’t be messing with us again, bro.”

“Who won’t be messing with us?” exclaimed Jack, leaning around Rhys. “Did something happen?”

Rhys sucked in a breath. “So...um...I maybe didn’t tell you about everything that went down with the Maliwan deal I attended the other day...” Jack’s fingers curled tight around Rhys’ arm. “They uh...tried to kill me, see. Their representatives had set it up like a normal meeting but we were interrupted by gunfire. They blamed it on bandits once August and I had killed all the shooters but not one of the Maliwan stooges had a freaking scratch.”

“They _aimed_ at _you,”_ Jack growled, grinding his teeth. “Those _mother fuckers._ Do you know what I do to assholes who try and destroy my stuff?”

Rhys sighed. “You kill them.”

Jack stood suddenly. “Damn right I kill them, Princess. I’ll strip their freaking faces off and declare war on their fucking-”

“Jack, sit _down_. Can’t we just enjoy our meal before you go traipsing off into the desert to avenge your husband?” Maya folded her arms and smirked at Jack as he lowered himself back into his seat.

The older man raised a finger at the Siren. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it and just glared at her.  At that moment, August appeared, pulling out a chair and going to sit down. Before he did, he obviously noticed the tense atmosphere at the table.

“Why does Jack look like someone stuck half a lemon in his mouth?” August chuckled, trying to break the tension. Jack just glanced away, eyebrows low, gulping down his wine. “He’s annoyed because he just found out about Maliwan.”

August’s eyes widened. “Ohhhh. Yeah, that was bad. Did Vaughnie here go fuck ‘em up?” He punched a nodding, grinning Vaughn in the arm. “Tough little nugget, aren’t you?”

“Well, I didn’t do it alone,” Vaughn replied, rubbing his neck shyly. “But yeah, we fucked them up. They won’t be trying that again.”

Rhys swirled his wine in his glass, staring at the contents. “They underestimated us. Which means to the outside world, we look too weak. Too easily taken down.”

Jack snorted, drawling. “They wouldn’t have touched _Hyperion_ with a ten-foot _pole_.”

Rhys shot him a look. “What have we talked about?” Jack grinned. “No one-upmanship. Just because you were a CEO once doesn’t mean you get to play that game with me.”

“Maya, are you okay?” Vaughn said, interrupting the two power-hungry husbands. They turned to look at the woman whose eyes were wide and vacant.

“Maya?” August took her hand into his own. She shuddered.

“There’s...there might be a problem.” Everyone at the table stiffened.

“What?” Rhys says, sounding more demanding than he meant to. If Maliwan was trying anything else...

“Siren,” Maya stated, biting her lip. “There’s a Siren nearby. It’s a _very_ strong Siren. Stronger than me, stronger than Lilith. Perhaps the both of us put together. They might be passing by or they might be coming to our front door with a purpose. Either way, we need to be prepared.”

Rhys was already on it. He was on his feet, crossing the room and heading back towards his office. Jack was directly behind him, using his comm and ordering guard outposts to train their weapons on anything approaching the Atlas borders. Rhys contacted the defence department directly.

“Hey, it’s Rhys. We need eyes on the ground now. We have a potentially dangerous Siren of unknown origins approaching and we _must_ take all precautions. Can you locate the Siren for me?” Rhys fell silent as he waited, climbing into the elevator with his companions at his heels. “Yeah? Okay, send a dozen Loader Bots down to the North entrance. We’ll be down there in a few.”

*

It was easier than she could have imagined. Her newly discovered ability to teleport was coming in ridiculously handy. All it took was squeeze of her eyelids and she was suddenly standing in some enormous plaza with people in snappy suits milling about all over the place. Luckily, they seemed too engrossed in their comms and their work to notice a random twelve year-old popping up from the middle of nowhere.  

“Jeez, Atlas really are a load of workaholic corporate assholes,” she muttered, edging towards the building that Meg had told her about. The largest one with the giant ‘A’ slapped on the front. The CEO’s office was the top floor. She smirked.

It couldn’t be _that_ difficult to get up there.

Sadly, she’d thought too soon and it took at least three attempts before she finally paralysed the guards who had insisted on ushering her out and told her to run back to her mommy. With the guards disabled, she bounded into the elevator and slammed her finger on the uppermost button. All she had to do was download the bandit information from the CEO’s computer. With her fabulous hacking skills, there was no wall that Angel couldn’t obliterate. No password that she couldn’t get past. Her dads would be so proud if they could see her now. Who she’d become. How she’d developed as a person. The idea made her eyes water, but she wiped away the tears on the back of her sleeve.

Now was not the time to be sentimental.

The guard outside of the CEO’s office was easily disposed of. He collapsed against the wall with a thump, eyes wide and mouth unmoving. Angel wasn’t one to kill, but incapacitate? Now _that_ was something she was capable of, both mentally and physically. Grinning, she picked his ID card out of his pocket before swiping it against the pad on the door. With a clunk, the doors swung open.

Immediately, she felt a twinge of nostalgia as she took in her new surroundings. The office was abundantly reminiscent of her father’s old office on Helios. It was cavernous, with steps leading up to a raised floor where the desk sat. Behind it, a huge window showed the dusty plains of Pandora. Her fingers trailed along the metal bars of the staircase. She walked up towards the desk, a strange feeling swirling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t quite place. The desk was neat, unlike her father’s had been. Everything was precisely positioned. She walked around the desk to switch on the computer when something caught her eye.

Angel collapsed onto the chair.

*

They all stood in the courtyard opposite the North Gate, guns poised and grenades at the ready. Sirens were completely unpredictable. If she was as powerful as Maya suggested, Rhys desperately hoped that she wasn’t coming to his front door with ill-intentions. He nodded up to the tower guard when he got the signal.

“Let her give us her worst,” Jack snarled, staring down the barrel of his gun. “I’ve dealt with greater shit than a damned Siren.”

“Yeah but this one isn’t your everyday Siren,” Rhys muttered. He tightened his grip as the doors opened slowly.

A dark-skinned, freakishly tall woman with jet black hair and glowing blue tattoos down her arm stood as if expecting them, hands on hips and head cocked to the side. She seemed...curious.

“So this is what it looks like inside this metal prison,” she sniggered, smiling. “Look at all you idiots ready to shoot me. How _impolite._ ” A forcefield of magnificent power erupted from her hand, which Rhys only had a brief moment to see before it knocked him on his ass. It glowed around her, bullets bouncing off it helplessly. She visibly sighed. “You’re not the only ones who have to take precaution.” She winked at a nearby guard. “So who’s the leader of up in this joint?”

Rhys clambered to his feet, growling under his breath. “Me. You didn’t have to goddamn blast us over. _That’s_ impolite.”

The Siren clapped her hands together with what looked like delight. “Oooh, I like ‘em when they’re sassy!”

Jack clenched his jaw. “I like ignorant bitches when they’re _dead_ ,” he snapped, raising his gun again. “Talk, Siren. What do you want?”

She began to talk but Rhys’ attention was caught by Maya laying a hand on his shoulder.

“She’s not the Siren I picked up on,” she whispered, causing Rhys’ heart to skip a beat.

“ _What_?”

“She’s powerful, yeah. But the power I felt before? It’s coming from _back towards your office._ ”

“Why didn’t you say that before?” Rhys hissed. Maya bit her lip.

“Because it’s moved. The Siren, that is. She’s moved since I last picked up on her. This Siren,” she motioned at the woman before them, “is the distraction.”

Rhys felt anger explode from within. He would _not_ be treated as a joke. Not by a Siren. Not by _anyone._

 _“Wow,_ ” he yelled, grabbing a grenade from his belt. The Siren drew her attention away from Jack to focus on Rhys. “You think you can have me on? You think you can come into _my_ domain and take what you want from me?” He raised his loaded fist when -

“...Daddy?”

Rhys froze as still as a statue. The voice that broke the silence before what should have been the inevitable storm pierced his eardrums as though it were a knife. He heard a noise come from Jack, but he didn’t look at the man. Instead he turned his body ever so slowly, wide eyes falling on the one person he’d thought he might have to give up hope on. The one person who radiated sunshine and everything Rhys upheld as good in the world. She stood there with a picture frame in her hands, the photograph turned towards them. It was a photo from Rhys’ desk of Jack and Rhys, with Rhys kissing Jack’s cheek as Jack pulled a face.

It was his favourite photo.

Beside him, Jack collapsed into the dirt, knees spread out and arms laid floppily on the tops of his thighs. He let out an enormous sob, before gasping and breathing, _“Angel.”_

The girl, whose lip was trembling and eyes were filled with tears, let the frame go and flung her arms around Rhys who tumbled into Jack’s lap. Jack wrapped his large arms around the two of them, crying openly. It was a heart-wrenching sound, mixing with Rhys’ gentle sobs.

“Daddys, my _daddys,_ ” Angel wept, unable to grab and cling to them as much as she wanted. Rhys cupped her face in his hands, pressing kisses all over her wet features. She giggled through her tears, sparking the beginning of the sobs transforming into laughter. Jack kissed them both, holding them close and tight.

“Angel, baby, I’ve missed you so much,” he said, voice cracking at almost every word. “We searched for you baby. We searched day and night and I couldn’t find you. We thought we’d lost you forever.” On the last word, Jack broke down again. Angel crawled up and flung her arms around his neck.

“I’m here, Daddy. I’m here and I’m safe.” It was then that she froze.  “How are you alive? I...you _died_.”

“Magic, baby,” Jack replied, attempting a wink through tear-sodden lashes. “Right now, all that’s important is that we’re here. Together. You found us, baby girl.”

“You’re home now, Angel,” Rhys breathed, pulling her close. “You’re home.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TINY FAMILY BACK TOGETHER AGAIN OH MY GOODNESS I AM HAPPY ARE YOU HAPPY? I AM SO HAPPY. 
> 
> Stay tuned for Part 3!
> 
> Sorry there was no smut, but I didn't think it fit particularly well into what I ended up wanting to do with the chapter. 
> 
> Also, head over to my tumblr if you ever wanna chat with this sinner ;-D 
> 
> loki-dokey@tumblr.com


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